Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili

January 2, 2014

One of my goals this year is to go camping more as a family. We’ve gone camping in the years past, and with three little boys, it can be umm… challenging. I love seeing my boys running wild and free in the wilderness as they were meant to do, but the bugs, meal planning, and freezing cold nights make me think twice. No one sleeps very well, washing dishes is a pain in the rear, and the boys get dirt in every little crevice! It’s a lot of work to prepare for the trip, a lot of work once you get there, and a lot of work to put everything away when you get home. That’s a lot of work!

But on the other hand, we make memories, spend time with family and friends, become one with nature, and unplug from technology… which is all good and needed.

Last summer when we camped with my sister’s family and some family friends, my sister made this white chicken chili, froze it in Ziplocs and then warmed it up in a dutch oven for dinner. It was pretty slick for campground cooking. I’m all about doing the prep work at home ahead of time where my dishwasher can do the dirty work for me!

It’s one of my family’s favorite meals in the wintertime, and I’ve made a few changes to make the recipe a little healthier. The original recipe calls for canned soup and a packet of taco seasoning, and I simply made a white sauce that substitutes for the canned soup, and added the spices one by one. This cuts down on the processed food a little bit, and really doesn’t add too much time to the prep.

It’s convenient because it cooks all day while you do your thing, and then you add the creamy ingredients an hour before serving. Go crazy with the toppings if you can! Fritos, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream are my favorite. When we go camping again this year, I’m definitely putting white chicken chili on our menu!

About an hour before serving: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, and allow to bubble and brown a bit. After a few minutes, gradually whisk in the milk and chicken base.

Allow the sauce to simmer for 4-5 minutes, whisking frequently until it is slightly thickened. Add salt and pepper.

Pour sauce into crockpot and mix to combine.

Add sour cream and mix.

If chicken has not already shredded with stirring, take out large pieces, shred them with two forks, and return to the crockpot.

I came across this recipe today & used it in place of my normal white chicken chili recipe… We tend to prefer things a lil spicier around here so I kicked up the spices a notch, but the recipe provided a perfect base to play with if you like to add your own twist, the consistency was great & my 2 yr old asked for seconds. I also had never tried corn before and it’s a nice addition. Thanks for sharing, will use this again & visit for other recipes!

This is in my crockpot right now. I just shredded the chicken and will do the thickening soon. It smells (And so far tastes) absolutely delicious!! Can’t wait for the finished chili. Perfect for this snowy/icy day!!!!

Thank you for sharing your recipe! I made this for a chili cook off today and won 2nd place. I am 99% sure that I didn’t win first place because my chili was the very first one gone, so a lot of people didn’t get to try it out! (More people kept coming after my chili ran out.) I did add some chorizo to it, but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and it was wonderful. My 2-year-old ate two bowls of it. Thank you! Will definitely make this again!

Hi Denise, thanks for your question. I think it might be easier to substitute one can of condensed cream of chicken soup for the Better than Bullion Chicken Base, butter, flour, and milk instead of trying to substitute granulated bouillon – Just because you would have to use hot water to dissolve the bullion, and I’m not sure if the extra liquid would be too much for the chili. Hope that is helpful!

Stumbled upon your website while searching for a white bean chicken chili recipe. This recipe is AMAZING! Making it again tomorrow for our houseguests. Hoping to make it a bit creamer and spicier than the last batch. Whether I succeed or not doesnt matter because this is so delicious just the way it is.

I just made this yesterday, and it’s great. However, I am on a low-calorie diet, and I was wondering how many calories are in this chili. I cannot find it anywhere, and I need to know so I can write it down. Thanks.

Hi Sarah, I do not provide nutritional information for my recipes. You can Google “calorie calculator” and enter in the ingredients listed in the recipe to find out the information you are needing. I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you for letting me know!

I am thinking about making this in large quantities for a camping trip. How far in advance do you think is safe to make it? And do I just add some liquid like you suggested above when I go to reheat it? And how long does it take to warm up? I’m gonna try making it for my family sometime in the next week to test out my cooking skills. Thanks!

If you are planning to freeze it, you could make it up to 3 months in advance. I would say reheating time will depend on your camping stove, altitude, and how much you make as well. I would plan on giving yourself an hour to get it warmed up and then you could just turn it to low until you are ready to serve. Be careful not to let the bottom burn (camping stoves can be tricky), so stir frequently. I think you could just bring up an extra can of chicken broth just in case it’s too thick, but you may not need it. Assuming you won’t have electricity to just plug in a crockpot, right?

Just tried the Crockpot Creamy White Chicken Chili tonight, and everybody loved it! I am going to add fresh chopped jalapeno’s next time I make it, just because I like a little more of a kick……otherwise it was FANTASTIC!

I think if you just made it on the stovetop it would be ok too. Just add all the ingredients listed through white beans, and simmer for at least half an hour. Follow the directions for the remaining ingredients (flour, milk, butter, etc) and add to the pot.

I’m so glad I stum upon this recipe. I want to make this for dinner tonight, but only have dry northern beans instead of canned ones. If I put this in the crockpot all day will dry beans be fine? And if so how many should I use?

Ok scratch what I just said about adjusting the cooking time. Sorry! I’m on my phone and thought you were asking about a different recipe. The nice thing about a crockpot is that it’s hard to over cook things so no worries! If you prefer to cut the chicken up ahead of time so you don’t have to later, keep your cooking time on low for 6-8 hours.

Just made this today and it is so good! One more question though, could the chicken, beans, and corn be mixed and frozen before hand and then thrown in with the spices and then the rest of the ingredients?

I am going to try this tomorrow With commuting time factored in, I am at work 10 hours before I get home, do you think I can leave it on low that long without affecting the chicken too much? Or would you recommend letting it cook while we sleep, then putting it in the fridge while it’s piping hot and eating it after work? Thanks for your advice.

Kelly, I haven’t ever cooked it that long, but I think it should be okay. Depending on how hot the “Low” setting on your crockpot is, I would think it just might be a little brown on the edges of your crockpot but not really affect the overall taste. Hope you enjoy!

Hi Jocelyn,
Yes, you add your white sauce that you made on the stovetop to the crockpot (butter, flour, milk, chicken base, salt, and pepper) and mix. Then add your sour cream to the crock pot and mix. Shred the chicken, if it isn’t already. Then cook on low for one more hour if you have time just so everything can get all happy together! Hope you enjoy!

I just started the chili. I’m looking forward to my first taste! Quick question… should I chop up an onion and add it to the chili? I’ve always done this with other chili recipes. I was curious to see if you’ve tried that, and if it makes a difference in the final result.

You could use a rotisserie chicken (just pull the meat of the bones and shred) and just make it on the stovetop. Without actually having made it this way before, I think if it simmered for an hour or so it should be fine. Let me know how it goes if you try it.

I added some diced red, orange, and green bell pepper to give it a more colorful look, and it won the prize for “best family-friendly chili” at our church’s Halloween cookoff! It’s easy to make a chili that’s not spicy, but they usually come out bland. This recipe has a lot of flavor without setting anyone’s mouth on fire. If you want more kick, you can just add some more cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce. Also, it was fantastic with some fritos corn chips. A recipe I will keep and re-use, for certain.

I’m making this recipe for the second time tonight, I love it so much! I used a cube of bouillon because that’s all I had and it melted into the sauce just fine. Also, the fritos and avocado toppings are crucial–SO GOOD! Thank you!

I’ve made this several times and it is a guaranteed winner! I’ve always used ground poultry (because it’s usually cheaper and on sale somewhere), I add the second can of beans and an additional can of green chilies at the end with the cream base, and I consistently always forget to add sour cream – and still it is ALWAYS DELICIOUS and turns out perfect every single time. I like that this is a versatile recipe so I can play around with the spices and really customize it if I want to. Also, someone asked about making the cream base ahead of time and refrigerating it – that is what I always do, because I work afternoon hours and don’t have time to make anything when I get home, and it has always been absolutely fine. Thank you for this amazing recipe! I am keeping it in my rotation forever!

I think beef would be the easiest substitute. You could use a chuck roast, beef broth, and Better Than Bullion beef base in place of the chicken breasts, chicken broth, and chicken base. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!

Hi – I am in the last step, everything is in the crock put but it is looking pretty thick. I did do 4 chicken breasts and seems like a lot of the liquid was absorbed during the day… any suggestions on how to make it a little more soupy and not so thick?

Hi Lisa, once you have added the creamy white sauce, if you still think it is too thick just add more chicken broth. You can use canned chicken broth, or mix one teaspoon of the Better Than Bullion Chicken base with 1 cup of warm water. Hope you enjoy!

I don’t have any experience with gluten free substitutions, but I’ve read that you can purée white beans to use as a thickener. Perhaps you could reserve a cup or so of the beans in this recipe, and mix with milk to add to the chili at the end. Let me know how it goes if you try it.

Hi Blake, this is a great recipe to make in a college apartment. To make it even more simple, omit the six ingredients listed after the white beans, and add two (10 ounce) cans of cream of chicken soup instead. You can do this when you add in all the other ingredients. Stir in the sour cream when you are almost ready to serve. Thanks for your question!

Best white chili I’ve made in some time (maybe ever)! Thanks for the great recipe. I followed all ingredients exactly except for the buillon (didn’t have any on hand) and it still turned out fine. The brown sauce and sour cream make it special. I’m taking it with me for lunches or dinners at the ski lodge this weekend and it will be perfect.

I made this tonight and it didn’t turn out well. Much, much too thick. I cooked it for probably 7.5 hours, added the roux and sour cream and didn’t need to cook any longer. Suggestions on what I may have done wrong other than cooking it too long? Followed the recipe to a T otherwise.

I know all crockpots do run a lithe bit differently as far as temperature goes, but that really shouldn’t have been too long. I’m not sure why it turned out thick, but just adding more chicken broth or milk at the end to thin it out should do the trick.

OMG Julie, I made batch one tonight as a test run…to the recipe exact! It’s got enough zing to leave a little tingle (I’m not a spicy lover), but every flavor comes through! This is going to be a hit with those 50 frat guys!!! I’ll report back after the weekend

Wow! I saw this recipe on Pinterest and saving it for a rainy day, which happened to be yesterday! I didn’t do it in a crock pot, just on the stove and I added a whole onion and did fresh chillies instead of canned because I couldn’t find any. I also used leftovers from a roast chicken. It turned out great and it’s now officially a favorite chili recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing Julie!

Hi! Excited to try this tonight! It’s been cooking all day in my crockpot question-is it ok to make the soup completely without chicken base and not adding a substitute? If not, what is the best substitute? Definitely want that thicker consistensy and couldn’t find the base anywhere. Thanks!!

Hi Carra, the chicken base just adds a little more flavor. Do you happen to have a chicken bullion cube? If so, just dissolve it in a couple of tablespoons of hot water to make a paste, and add it to the milk/butter/flour white sauce that you put into the crockpot toward the end. Hope this helps!

Yes you’ve gotten umpteen questions re: this recipe, HOWEVER mine is one i couldn’t find on here. I’ve been substituting greek yogurt for sour cream in most of my recipes. I’m nervous re: it curdling. i’m thinking i’ll just add it before serving, but wondering if anyone else has tried it at the ’1-hour-left-to-cook’ mark. ?? smells delish, can’t wait to devour.

I’m a big fan of chicken. So I’d like to do 5 or 6 chicken breasts. Would you suggest changing anything? And I’d also like to add noddles. Again, do you think I should change anything? Maybe adding more broth?

I have a question on the Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chilli. I am making this today and I don’t have the Better than Bullion chicken base. I did pick up Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock, will that work for the last few steps? Or do I still have to use cream of chicken?

Do you have a chicken bullion cube? If so, you can crush it up in a few tablespoons of hot water and make a paste that would be similar to the Better Than Bullion. I’m afraid if you add more chicken stock it could be more liquid than you need.

The Knorr chicken stock is thick until you add water. I was thinking it does the same as a bullion but in a more paste natural form. I don’t know I might try and see if it’ll work before I add it to the pot. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for your response! I can’t wait to try this chilli!

Do you think this would keep in the fridge well for 2 days before serving? I have to make a LOT. I need to feed about 50 fraternity guys – 30 of them who will have walked 20 miles in below freezing temps (long story – fundraiser for MS – total walking is 160 miles over 8 days – we’re feeding them after day 3). I need to make it ahead of time so I can transport it to the university. Then warm in crock pots until time for eating. I wanted to start making batches probably tomorrow (Tue) but didn’t want to freeze it as I’m not sure how much “cook” time I’ll have Saturday afternoon. That…and the frat house I’ll be working from has a questionable kitchen (I’m not even sure I recall seeing an oven Any suggestions or advice appreciated!!

Two days in the fridge should be fine. Great idea for feeding a crowd. One piece of advice might be to just have a little extra chicken broth on hand to add if the chili thickens as it sits in the fridge. Sometimes I find that I need to thin it out when reheating. Sounds like a great cause! Hope this helps Carol!

Lindsay, you could definitely try thickening with cornstarch. I found these instructions on Argo’s website. Hope this helps!

“If you’re cooking hot liquids like sauces, stock or broth, 1 tablespoon of corn starch per cup of liquid will give you a thin to medium consistency that’s appropriate for soups or very thin sauces.

2 tablespoons per cup will give you a thicker, more gravy-like consistency.

When you want to thicken hot liquids, first mix ARGO Corn Starch with a little cold water until it’s very smooth. Then, gradually stir the corn starch/water mixture into the hot liquid until it’s blended. Be sure to stir constantly. You’ll want to bring the mixture to boil, and boil it for 1 minute. You’ll notice there are no lumps.”

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